Researchers tried different methods to select and manipulate carbon nanotubes (CNT). For example, C. A. Furtado and U. J. Kim demonstrated increasing the solubility of CNT by attaching functional groups to the CNT. M. J. O'connell and S. M. Bachilo proposed to prepare CNT dilution by sonication and centrifugation. A. Ramos and H. Morgan reviewed different AC electrokinetics forces in microelectrode structures. J. Li and Q. Zhang demonstrated manipulation of bundled CNTs using AC dielectrophoresis. M. Dimaki and P. Boggild calculated dielectrophoretic (DEP) effect on CNT in microelectrode structures. However, the proposed processes mentioned above did not address several major issues.
First, they did not classify specific types of nanoobjects. Different types of nanoobjects have their own application. For examples, semi-conducting CNTs can be used for transistors; whereas, metallic CNTs are candidates for interconnects and wires due to their low resistance and high current-carrying capability.
Second, the structure of a nanoobject and its electrical properties should not be changed or modified during the classification or manipulation process. For instance, the use of strong chemicals for suspension greatly modifies the structure of CNTs such that resulting CNTs lose their excellent electrical properties.
Third, the capability of manipulating and depositing a single/individual nanoobject was not achieved. Most researchers only approximated the situation of DEP manipulation on nanoobjects (i.e. considered the nanoobject as a point particle).
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a classification and manipulation scheme for nanoobjects which addresses these shortcomings. The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.